Mold operating mechanism for glassware forming machines



Aug. 13, 1935.

- 6. E. ROWE MOLD OPERATING MECHANISM FOR GLASSWARE FORMING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1934 2 sheets-shat 1 Aug. 13, 1935. G. E. ROWE 2,011,188

MOLD OPERATING MECHANISM FOR GLASSWARE FORMING MACHI NES Filed May 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6'80? e51 110 we flZZ07'rzey5 Patented Aug. 13, 1935 o UNITED STATES MOLD OPERATING MECHANISM FOR GLASSWARE FORMING MACHINES George E. Rowe, Wethersfleld, Conn., assignor to Y Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford, Conn;, a

corporation of Delaware Application May 15, 1934, Serial No. 725,706

' 11 Claims.

1 This invention relates to apparatus for forming hollow glass articles and more particularly to' apparatus for use in connection with a rotary or other movable-mold type glassware forming machine in which one or more molds are moved in an orbital path for thepurpose of opening and holding open the forming molds in a zone in which they are normally closed for the purpose of permitting access to the interior thereof for treating such mold interiors.

It has been found in practice that it is desirable, if not absolutely' essential, to swab the interior of molds and/or to treat them with live rubber by a wiping action (rubbering-up"),- these treatments being performed manually, from time to time in order that the glass articles formed therein may be free from certain defects, such .as .checking", that is, surface irregularities usually at or adjacent to the seam line, which may be caused by glass adhering tosome extent to one or both of the mold halves when the molds are opened.

In certain of the older types of machines, the molds are normally idle for a material period of time, sometimes at a dwell station, and at such station and/or in some instances also during the movement of the mold through a zone of material length, access could be had to the interiors of the molds for treating suchmold interiors by swabbing or "rubbering-up.

The modern tendency, however, in the design of glass forming machines is to use all the molds for the greatest possible proportion of the total time, with the result that the time available with older types of machines for treating'the interior of the molds is now almost wholly absent in these modern machines. The expedient which has been resorted to to some extent is to deflect one or more charges of glass from a mold to 40 be treated to cullet at some earlier stage, so that each mold will move through one complete orbit of its path idle and during this time manually to open the mold in some manner and treat the interior thereof, as may be desired. Material difficulties have arisen in this practice due to the fact that many modern machines are provided with some means, usually resilient in nature, by which the molds are normally held closed, so that an operator desiring to treat the interior of a mold during the period in which it is normally held closed must exert a material force on the mold or some portion of the mold opening and closing mechanism to open it and hold it open which hinders such operator in the performance of his principal object, namely, the treating of the interior of the mold.

The present invention provides mechanism for the simplifying of this mold treating operation, specifically by providing a means for maintaining a mold open during the movement'thereof through at least a part of a zone in which it is normally held closed, so as to provide access to the'-"interior thereof for a period of time for terior thereof and easily operated, so that a minimum of charges of glass need be wasted in effecting the desired treatment of the several molds, as aforesaid. 1

Further objects and advantages of my present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description and appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view principally in plan and with certain parts omitted illustrating the application of my invention to a modern commercial machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view principally in plan of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed view in side elevation of the wind distributing structure with which certain of the mechanisms of the present invention are associated.

While it is contemplated that the improved mechanism specifically forming the subject matter of the present invention may be applied in many ways to many different types of machines, both intermittent and continuous in nature and in which the molds are rotated or move through some other orbital path, I have chosen to illustrate the invention as applied to the machine known to the commercial art as the Hartford- E-mpire No. 12 machine, this machine being particularly illustrated and described in a copending Joint application of myself and one E. H. Lorenz,

Serial No. 492,407, filed October 31, 1930, now Patent 1,976,239, granted October 9, 1934. Reference may be had to this patent for a! particular description of many of the parts not specifically illustrated and described herein as they have no specific connection with the subject of the present invention.

The machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is of the two-table variety, including a blank or parison mold table I and a final blow mold table 2, these tables being suitably rotated preferably in a continuous manner by mechanism not illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but particularly shown and described in the Lorenz and Rowe patent above referred to. The tables I and 2 are provided with large meshing ring gears, as illustrated, so that motion imparted to one will be correspondingly imparted to the other. The table 2 is mounted for continuous rotation, as aforesaid, specifically about a stationary column 3 (Fig. 1).

While I have chosen to illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings as applied to the final blow molds of a forming machine, it will be understood that the invention may be correspondingly applied to any partible mold or molds.

The table I, shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, carries a plurality of parison molds 4 suitably mounted thereon and arranged in conjunction with means (not shown) for forming parisons therein, such parisons being transferred as, particularly set forth in the patent of Lorenz and Rowe above referred to, to final blow molds here illustrated at 5. The machine as shown includes eight forming units or final blow molds on the final blow mold table 2, although it will be understood that any desired number may be employed with suitable changes made in the operating mechanism.

The final blow molds 5 may be formed as illustrated in mating portions or halves supported in mold holders .6 and 1, these holders being pivoted on a common pintle 8 supported in a carriage generally indicated at 9. The carriages 9 are arranged in the device of the present application and in the patent of Lorenz and Rowe for substantially radial movement with respect to the blow mold table 2, and for this purpose have suit able guide means formed thereon slidable in guideways ll) (see Figs. 1 and 3). The radial movement of the carriages 9 is effected by providing each of these carriages with a roller H suitably mounted thereon on a vertical pintle, the rollers all riding in a downwardly facing closed cam groove in a stationary cam generally indicated at l2 and suitably secured to the stationary center column 3. This groove is formed, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to project the blow molds outwardly for the receipt of glass parisons from the cooperating blank molds 4, substantially at the line of centers of the blank and blow mold tables 5 and 2 respectively, and thereafter to move the blow molds radially inward to their innermost positions with respect to the table 2 at which the parisons are expanded to final form in the blow molds.

As generally illustrated in Fig. 1, the takeout or removal of the completed articles occurs substantially at the point T, so that the molds will be closed substantially at the line of centers of the blank and blow mold carriers and will normally remain closed for substantially seven- "trated in Fig. 1.

are normally open is inadequate for the proper treatment of the interiors of such molds as afore-' said. Also, this zone is in such a position with respect to other parts of the machine that the molds are not readily accessible during this time. My invention, therefore, contemplates that the molds should be provided with means for opening them and holding them open during a part at least of the period in which they are normally closed to provide access to the interior thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Each of the blow molds is provided with mold operating. mechanism for opening and closing such molds in their normal operating cycle. This mechanism comprises a bell crank lever 13 pivoted on a vertical pintle It on the carriage 9 and connected to the mold holder 6 by a link [5 connecting a pintle [6 carried by the bell crank l3 and a pivotal point on an arm ll rigid with the mold holder 6. The bell crank I3 is also connected with the mold holder 1 by a link l8 extending between a pintle IS on the bell crank and a pintle 20 carried by an arm 2| rigid with the mold holder '1. This construction is best seen in Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. Thus upon clockwise movement of the bell crank l3, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, the mold halves 5 of the blow mold will be closed, while counterclockwise movement of this bell crank about its pintle M will effect the opening of the mold halves.

The pintle l6 passes through an arcuate slot 22 in the carriage 9 and is provided at its upper end above such carriage with a cam roller 23 (Figs. 2 and 3). Cam rollers 23 are arranged to engage in a downwardly facing cam groove in a stationary cam member 24 which is suitably secured to the stationary center column 3 of the blow mold table. In prolongation of the cam groove in the member 24 is a cam groove formed in a swinging cam member 25 (Fig. 1-). The member 25 is mounted for swinging movement about a stationary vertical pintle 26 and is provided with an arm 21 rigid therewith and adapted normally to abut against an adjustable set screw 28. The arm 21 is urged against the abutment 2.8 by a tension spring 29, as clearly illus- This provides a resilient means tending to close the mold at the desired zone, the cam groove in member 24 serving to open the mold for the purpose of permitting the, removal of the completed articles at the takeout zone T. Each of the blow molds is further provided with means which tend resiliently to holdthe mold closed during a major portion of the movement of the molds around the axis of the blow mold table, that is, during the major part of the period the mold is normally closed as aforesaid, such means comprising a pneumatic cylinder 39 which may be integral with the carriage 9 and which is supplied with pressure in a manner to be hereinafter described. A piston 3! in the cylinder 33 extends out through the radially outer end thereof and may be connected by a suitable link (not shown) to the pintle H5, or it may merely abut against a roller, as shown at 32 (Fig. 3), which roller is mounted upon the pintle l6.

Associated with each of the final blow molds 5 is a blow head generally indicated at 33 (Fig. 2), this head being carried by a pair of arms 34 which are pivoted upon a substantially horizontal pintle 35 carried by the carriage 9. The arms 34 also carry a cross shaft 36 which is connected by a link 37 to a suitable pivotal point adjacent to the center column 3 in a manner not shown in the accompanying drawings but shown and described in detail in the Lorenz and Rowe patent above referred to.

For the purposes of the present description, it

is sufiicient to say that the radially inwardmovement of the blow molds under the control of the cam 2 cooperating with the cam rollers I is efi'ective to swing the arms 34 downward about their pintles 35 and to move the blow heads 33 into engagement with the upper ends of the blow molds. When the blow molds are moved outwardly on approaching the takeout position, the blow heads 33are raised under the influence of the pull exerted on the links 31, the inner ends of which are substantially fixed with respect .to the blow mold table on horizontal pivots (not shown).

Final blowing pressure is supplied to each unit from a suitable source and in a manner not particularly illustrated and is passed first to a blow valve (not shown) which is, in the commercial Hartford 12 machine, located beneath the blowtable 2. The pressure thence passes to the pipe 38 (Fig. 2). This pressure is conducted through registering ports in the cylinder 30 and in a spring-pressed slide block 39 from the pipe 38 to the inside of cylinder 30 behind the piston 3| therein. The timing of the operation of the blow valve above referred to is such that pressure is.

normally admitted to each of the cylinders 30 at a point in the rotation of the mold substantially at A (Fig. 1), although this point is *in practice adjustable. When the mold 5 is closed,

the piston 3| is so disposed in the cylinder 30 as to uncover a second port opening into that cylinder, which port communicates in a manner not particularly illustrated with a pressure pipe 40 (Figs. 1 and 2) This pipe communicates through suitable bores in the pintle 35 and in one of the arms 34 with the interior of the blow head 33.

The arrangement is such, therefore, that pressure can only be conducted to the blow head 33 when theblow mold is closed, and that during a major portion of this time pressure is continuouslybeing supplied to the cylinder 30 behind the piston 3| therein, which by its'bearing against the roller 32 or connection with the pintle I6 is effective to supply a resilient force tending normally to hold the blow mold 5 closed.

-In*ermediate each pair of final blow molds 5 is a wind distributing structure, generally indicated at 4|, which is mounted on and rigid with the table 2 and which is supplied with wind through a pipe 42 (Fig. 4) communicating with the upper end thereof from a suitable manifold (not shown herein). This construction is essentially similar to that of the Hartford-Empire No. 12 machine and is shown and described particularly in my joint patent with E. H. Lorenz, above referred to. The structure 4| is shown as provided with three sets of ports 43 on each side thereof, each of whichis controlled by a suitable adjustable damper having an adjusting lever 44 associated therewith. There is illustrated a further air nozzle 45 associated with and receiving wind from each of the structures 4| and provided with an adjustable damper having a handle" 46. The particular function of these air nozzles and the structure 4| has nothing to do with the present invention except so far as this structure serves as a mounting for the particular means hereinafter to be described.

The construction thus far described is essentially similar to that of the commercial Hartford-Empire No. 12 machine and is more fully tion about parisons transferred thereto from the 1 blank molds 4 at substantially the positions of the blank mold shown in Fig. 1, these molds re maining closed around to the point shown at T,

and that from the point A to substantially the point T a resilient force is provided tending to maintain these molds closed. My present invention contemplates the provision of means.for opening the blow molds selectively and for maintaining them open substantially .from the point A to and through the takeout point T. For this purpose, each of the bell crank levers I3 is provided with a pair of hook-shaped extensions 41 rigid or integral therewith and adapted to engage an abutment 48 mounted rigidly on the inner end of a slidebar 49 which'is slidable in suitable bearings 50 and 5| in the wind distributing structure 4|. The slide bar 49 is prevented from rotation in its bearings by a screw 52 (Fig. 2) which may be threaded through the bearing 50 and have its inner end extending into a suitable slot 53 cut in the slide bar.

The outer end of the slide bar 49 is provided with a suitable handle here shown as a cross bar 54 by which this slide bar may be drawn out- -wardly or moved' inwardly as desired; Means are provided for latching the slide bar 49 at its prising a latch 55 pivoted at 55 to the wind distributing structure 4| and arranged to engage in a slot 51 in the slide bar 49, as seen at-the bottom in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 4. The latch 55 is constantly urged toward the slide bar 49 by a tension'spring 58 extending between this latch and a suitable anchorage, shown at 59 (Fig. 4).

It will be understood that each of the blow molds 5 is provided with the same construction, as particularly described above, that is, the hook members 41. the slide bar 49 and its associated mechanism.

The operation of the device is as follows. When the.molds 5 areto be operated in a normal manner in the production of bottles, the slide bar. 49 is at its innermost position, as shown for the lowermost forming unit seen in Fig. 1, the notch 51 being at this time located within the air distributing structure 4| and the latch 59 resting only on the round surface of the slide bar. Under these circumstances, the hook members 41 will not engage the abutment 48 on the slide bar, or if they do engage it, will merely serve to move the slide bar substantially radially inwardly of the blow mold carrier or table 2. The operation proceeds as in the..normal manner now in commercial use for this machine.

If the operator desired to have access to the interior of any selected mold for swabbing it, rubbering it up or otherwise treating such mold interior, he will first deflect the glass to cullet which would normally have beensupplied to the o. the unit during the rotation of the machine until the unit has been moved radially inwardly under the control of the cam 92 cooperating with the roller ii of that unit. The radial inward movement of the unit operating in response to the rotation of the blow mold carrier or table 2 will be efiective'to cause theengagement of the hooks M with the abutment 418 of the now rigidly latched slide bar 59, so that continued inward movement of the unit will cause the bell crank it thereof to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in the drawings, about its pintle iii thereby opening the associate mold against the pressure of the air within cylinder 30. This mold will-then remain open until the unit passes to and through the takeout zone T, so that during this time the operator may walk around "withthe rotation of the machine and treat the interior of the mold as he may desire. As the unit passes through the zone T or is adjacent to that zone, or in fact at any time after the operator has finished his work on the interior of the mold up to the arrival of the mold at point B on its next revolution, he may trip thelatch 55 by moving the outer end thereof downwardly against the tension of the spring 58, thus permitting the pressure within cylinder 35 to close the mold if such action is permitted by the position of associated roller 23 and earns 2% or 25. In any event, the mold will resume its normal operation. It will be seen from the foregoing that each of the forming units is provided with individual means by which the mold thereof may be main- .tained open for a period during which the mold moves through a part at least of the zone in which it is normally closed and that during this time access may. be had to the interior thereof.

While I have shown but one form oimy invention, it will be obvious that the invention may be broadly applied to various types of machines, both intermittent and continuous and in which the mold or molds are moved through circular or non-circular orbital paths, and that the invention provides individual manual control for each mold to permit achess to the interior thereof with a loss of a minimum of production. In actual practice, it has been found'that but one chargeof glass need be lost in treating each mold. Various other modifications and adaptations of my invention will present themselves to one means mounted on and movable with said movable carrier for opening said mold and holding it open during the movement thereof through at 1 least a part of said zone.

2. Apparatus for "forming hollow glass articles, comprising a movable carrier, 9. partible mold on saidcarrier and movable thereby in an orbital path,-means ior normally holding said mold closed during the movement thereof through a predetermined zone 'of said\,path, and means mounted on and movable with said movable carrieriormaintaining said mold open during the movement thereof through at least a part of said zone. i

3. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising a rotary carrier, a partible mold on said carrier, means for normally holding said mold closed during the movement thereof through a predetermined zone of the rotation of said carrier, and other means mounted on and rotating with said rotary carrier for opening said mold and holding it open during the movement thereof through at least' a part of said zone.

4. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising acontinuously rotating carrier...

a partible mold on said carrier, means for nor-- thereof through a predetermined zone of the rotation of said carrier, and other means mounted on and rotating with said rotary carrier and individual to eachmold for opening the respective molds and holding them open during the movement thereof through at least a part of said zone.

6. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising a continuously rotating carrier,

a plurality of partible molds on said carrier, means for normally holding said molds closed during the movement thereof through a predetermined zone of the rotation of said carrier, and other means mounted on and rotating with said continuously rotating carrier, individual to.each mold and manually movable to predetermined positions respectively to open said molds and hold them open during the movement thereof through at least a part of said zone.

7..Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising a rotary carrier, 9. partible mold on' said carrier, resilient means for normally holding said mold closed during the movement thereof through a predetermined zone of the rotation of said carrier, cam means for opening said mold in response to the rotation of said carrier and in a zone subsequent to the first named zone, and other means acting independently ofsaid cam means and in response to the rotation of said carrier for opening said mold and holding it open during the movement thereof through at least a part of said first named zone.

8. Apparatus for forminghollow glass articles, comprising'a continuously rotating carrier, a plurality of partible molds on said carrier, resilient means for normally holding .said-molds closed during the rotation thereof through a predetermined zone of the rotation of said car-' rier, and other means individual to each mold "and manually movable in respect to said carrier to respective positions such as to open and hold open the associated molds respectively by bringing into operation mechanism operating in response'to the rotation of said carrier.

9. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising a rotary carrier, a partible mold mounted for movement in a substantially-radial direction on said carrier, means for moving said mold substantially radially with rt to said Sill carrier between an outer position to receive glass and an inner position in which the glass may be expanded therein, resilient means for normally holding said mold 'closed during the movement thereof through a predetermined zone in the rotation of said carrier, and other means manually positionable to cause the radial inward movement of said mold to open it to permit access to the interior thereof during the movement of said mold through at least a part of said zone.

10. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising a' continuously rotating carrier, a plurality of partible molds thereon mounted for substantially radial movement with respect thereto, cam means for moving said molds radially with respect to said carrier, a mold opening and closing linkage associated with each mold, resilient means for cooperating'with said linkage for urging said linkage to such a position as to close the mold and to maintain it closed, cam means operating at one zone only in the rotation of said carrier and cooperating with said linkage to open and close said molds successively, and manually movable means separate and distinct from the above-named means and individual to each of said molds and arranged to be positioned in predetermined positions respectively so as to cooperate with said linkages upon the radial inward movement of the molds respectively for opening said molds and holding them open during a part at least of the zone in which they are normally closed, whereby to permit access to the interior of selected molds without interrupting the operation of other molds on r the machine.

11. Apparatus for forming hollow glass articles, comprising-a continuously rotating carrier, a plurality of partible molds on said carrier and arranged for substantially radial movement with respect thereto between outer positions in which glass is received by said molds and inner posiof said molds and manually movable to a position such that inward movement of the molds as aforesaid will cause the engagement of the linkages respectively with the associated abutment means to cause said molds to be opened and held open in a zone of the rotation of said carrier in which the molds are normally closed, and means for latching each of said abutment means in position to open and hold open the associated mold, whereby access may behad to any selected mold for the performance of operations on the interior thereof without disturbing the continued operation of the remaining mold in the formation of glass articles.

GEORGE E. ROWE. 

